Israel’s Beresheet Encounters Glitch in Space

Beresheet (Genesis), the first Israeli spacecraft to be sent to the moon, encountered a snag on Monday night during its journey in space. During a pre-maneuver phase, the spacecraft computer reset unexpectedly, and the maneuver was automatically canceled.

The engineering teams are analyzing the situation, the spacecraft’s control in Israel stated Tuesday.

At this time, the spacecraft’s systems are working well and the problem is expected to be overcome.

SpaceIL’s CEO Dr. Ido Anteby stated that the teams are not worried about the setback, and that “of course it isn’t nice, but we are still optimistic.”

Beresheet is the creation of SpaceIL, an Israeli nonprofit, in collaboration with the IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) and with a contribution by the ISA (Israel Space Agency) of the Department of Science and Technology.

Beresheet is slated to touch down in the moon’s Sea of Tranquility on April 11.

If the mission is successful, the 160-kilogram unmanned four-legged spacecraft will be the smallest and cheapest spacecraft to land on the moon.